Faith of Iraqi Christians Unbreakable Amidst Persecution

The faith of Iraqi Christians is “not diminished," in spite of the many inhumane acts of persecution from Islamic extremists.

Islamic State's invasion of Iraq and subsequent horrors has reanimated talk about Christian Just War teaching.

Some 70,000 Christians are exiled in Erbil from their homes in Mosul, Bakhdida, and other towns in Nineveh Province by the rise of the Islamic State.

“The faith is the reason for their lives. And despite the persecution, children wear rosaries around their necks and the people do not hide their tattoos of crosses or their medals that identify them as Christians,” Maria Lozano, adjunct communications director for Aid to the Church in Need, told Catholic News Agency.

According to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the need for emergency humanitarian aid is at an all time high. ACN has promised Iraqi Christians emergency aid of nearly $300,000.

Citing the call by Iraq's Chaldean Patriarch for military intervention, a group of prominent Christian commentators state, "nothing short of the destruction of ISIS/ISIL as a fighting force will provide long-term protection of victims."

The Institute on Religion and Democracy maintains that ISIS invasion of Iraq and subsequent atrocities that has led to significant persecution of Christians has given rise to discussions about “Christian Just War” teaching.

"Christian thinkers and others who urged the 'destruction' of ISIS within the parameters of Just War teaching offer bracing moral clarity, Mark Tooley, president of IRD, said in a statement. “All persons of good will and realism must agree with them on some level. The challenge is to convey that even after the hoped for destruction of ISIS, violence and upheaval, which are intrinsic to humanity, will continue, especially in the Mideast. Christian thinking has to offer both hope and sobriety, each of which requires perseverance and patience.”